One of the most common tasks in construction, and carpentry in particular, is the placement and fastening together of pieces of material. In many cases, such as framing wall studs, the studs must be placed apart at standard distances, such as sixteen inches on center, and the pieces must be fastened perpendicular to one another. This task is often repeated many times over in a single project.
Certain tools, such as a measuring tape, have highlighted markings to assist in measuring industry standard distances, such as the standard distance between wall studs. However, these tools are limited to assisting in measurement only. They do not reduce the labor or skill required in many aspects of the placement and fastening tasks.